Six consecutive victories for promotion-chasing U21s

Andrija Novakovich, Sean Long and Shane Griffin all found the target as Reading's U21s made it six wins on the bounce to keep their promotion push on track.

Novakovich volleyed home after 34 minutes with Long nodding in the Royals' second just four minutes later and Griffin concluded a neat team move by slotting home a third after the break.

The victory ensured that the Royals keep their promotion ambitions in their own hands with three matches of the U21s Premier League Division Two campaign remaining.

Martin Kuhl's side started the clash brightly. Tariqe Fosu and Nana Owusu both went close in the early stages and, on 18 minutes, the former almost opened the scoring.

As a cross came in from the right, he teed himself up for a spectacular volley that was well blocked by the Stoke defence.

Fosu again went close on 32 minutes. Benefiting from an intelligent dummy from Novakovich, he made himself space on the edge of the box and whipped a curling shot inches wide.

Two minutes later, though, they went ahead. Owusu fizzed in a cross from the right, which Novakovich did superbly to control and direct into the corner.

Liam Kelly saw an angled strike deflected just wide soon afterwards and from the resulting corner possession eventually reached Aaron Kuhl, who picked out Long to nod in Reading's second.

Owusu wriggled his way to the byline and shot just off target on the hourmark and Niall Keown then glanced a header inches wide of the far post from a Kelly free-kick.

They grabbed a deserved third after 74 minutes when some tidy link up play between Kelly, Fosu and Kuhl fell for Griffin, who took a touch inside the penalty area before sweeping home with his left foot.

Reading now sit second in the Premier League Division Two table and nine points from their final three matches will guarantee Martin Kuhl's side promotion to Division One.